How a stolen list of names led to millions in phony tax returns

A former Camden man, now in the custody of immigration authorities, has admitted his role in a stolen-identity scheme.(Photo: Photo provided)

CAMDEN – A former city man has admitted his role in a stolen-identity scheme that began with the theft from a Cherry Hill office building.

Daury Cordero, 31, is one of more than 10 people to plead guilty in connection with a ring that stole filed phony income tax returns for refunds of some $4.6 million, authorities say.

Most of the refunds were filed in the names of identity-theft victims from Puerto Rico, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for New Jersey.

But Cordero allegedly arranged the sale of a list of names found by Cesar Abreu, a Camden man who was cleaning an office in Cherry Hill in January 2016, the federal prosecutor's office said in a statement.

“Abreu stole a list titled ‘Town of Uxbridge,’ which contained names, Social Security numbers, and dates of birth for 62 people,” the statement said. It offered no additional information about the list.

The men contacted Pedro Santana of Pennsauken, who arranged a meeting in March 2016 with an apparent buyer, the statement said.

Cordero and Abreu, who received $2,500 for the list, expected the stolen identities would be used to file phony tax returns and to apply for unauthorized credit cards, according to court records.

But the buyer was an undercover agent for the IRS.

And Santana, who arranged the meeting with the IRS agent, had pleaded guilty almost a year earlier to federal charges of conspiracy and theft of government funds, court records show.

Santana received a three-year probationary term in March 2017. The Pennsauken man initially was ordered to pay restitution of $4.6 million at the rate of $100 a month, but that was dropped to “no less than $25 due to his economic circumstances” in November 2018.

Cordero, who had homes in Camden and Philadelphia, pleaded guilty Friday to conspiracy for the unlawful transfer, possession or use of a means of identification.

The Dominican Republic native, currently in the custody of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, is to be sentenced June 28 by U.S. District Judge Noel Hillman.

Abreu, the cleaning man, was sentenced to a three-year probationary term in October 2018.

The ring allegedly cashed more than 750 refund checks between 2011 and August 2015, court papers say.

Members allegedly stole the identities of residents of Puerto Rico, then had income tax refunds mailed to addresses in South Jersey. The checks were intercepted by letter carriers working for the ring and were cashed at cooperating check-cashing agencies, authorities say.

Residents of Puerto Rico do not have to file federal tax returns if all their income comes from sources on the island. As a result, they’re often unaware when fraudulent returns are filed in their names, the U.S. Attorney's Office noted.